Rotary engine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. S. E. FERGUSON. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 592,284. Patented oct. 26, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.,

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,284, dated October2G, 1897.

4 Application filed March 31, 1897. Serial No. 630.117. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: c

Be it known that I, SILVESTRE E. FERGUSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Eureka Springs,in the county of Carroll and State ofArkansas, have invented a new anduseful Rotary Engine, of which thefollowing is specifica-tion. c c

My inventionl relates to rotary engines of object to provide a simpleand efficient con# struction and arrangement of parts, including a fixedabutment adapted to recedeto allow the moving abutment or wing of thepiston to pass without obstruction; to provide adjustable meansforactuating or yieldinglyI holding the fixed abutment in its operativeposition; to provide actuating. means forthe fixed abutment whereby itmay be locked in its repressed position, and, furthermore,to provideefficient means wherebythe piston may be reversed.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will. appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly, pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an engineconstructed in accordance with my invention, taken in the plane of andthrough one ofgthe cylinders, and reversed, fixed, and moving abutment-sof the other cylinder being indicated in dot`V ted lines. Fig. 2 is atransverse section in the plane of the axis'of the piston Fig. 3 is adetail view in perspective of one of the xed responding parts in all theiiguresof the draw;`

ings.

The casingl of the engine embodying my invention-incloses a'rotarypiston 2, havinga peripheral web 3, by which the interior of the casingis divided to form independent cylinders 4 and 5, said piston having ashaft 6, fit* ted with any suitable means, as apulley 7, for

communicating power to mechanism; to. be driven. The preferredconstruction of piston is illustrated in the drawings, wherein the innerwall of the annular casing is formed by yto divide the interior of thecasing, as above indicated, and being seated in a groove in the innersurface of the outer annular Wall of the f the concentric-piston type,and has for. its4 IO' casing, Vas clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thecasing isprovided with an inlet-port 8 in communication with eachcylinder andcontrolled 'by a throttle-valve 9, arranged in a valve-chamber 10, saidvalve-casing being in communication' With a supply-.conductor 11 forsteam, compressed air, or other motive agent. The stem 12 of the valveis attached .c te a reversing-lever 13. It will be understood that thevalve, With its stemv and lever, is duplicated when the engine isconstructed with twin cylinders, as above described.

14 represents the exhaust-port,

The piston carries a moving abutment 15, Which operates in thecylinder'to receive the pressure of the motive agent and communicatemotion to the piston, the motive agent being confined betweenthis movingabutment and a fixed 'abutment 16, whichis mounted in a cavity orrecessfl in the ,wall of the shell and isnormally and yieldingly heldextended in therpath of thei moving abutment, said -moving abutmentbeing beveled to form a cam-face A13, which bears against the upper,surface ,of the fixed abutment to depress Vthe latter out of its path.

The means Which I have illustrated in the drawings f or yieldinglymaintaining the fixed 'abutment in its operative position include arocker 19, fulcrumed to any suitable portion of the frame of themechanism, as at 20, and having an arm 21, which is connected to theexposed end of a stem 22, pivot-ally connected to the free end of thefixed abutment. The stem extends through a stufng-box 23.

The rocker is provided with oppositely-extending guides 24e and 25, uponwhich are mounted to slide the retracting and extending weights 26 and27, connected for simultaneous movement, and adapted, by adjustment uponthe arms 24 and 25, to actuate the Vrocker to hold the fixed abutmenteitherV `extended or retracted. For instance, when the weights arearranged as illustrated in Fig. l. (the weight 2G being contiguous tothe fulcruin of the rocker, while the weight 27 is at the outerextremity of the arin 25) the fixed abutment is yieldingly held in itsextended position, whereas by reversing the position oi these weights,to arrange the weight 2G near the outer extieinity of the arm 2i and theweight 27 contiguous to the fulcruin ofthe rocker, the fixed abutmentwill be held in its retracted position, or out of the path of the movingabutment l5. The means which I have illustrated in the drawings foradjusting these weights includes a hand-lever 2Q and a rod or pitman 29.

It will be understood that with the double-cylinder constructionhereinbefore nientioiied the moving abutment is arranged at oppositesides of the web 3 in reversed positions, as also is the fixed abutment,whereby the motive agent admitted respectively into t-lie cylinders willcause rotation of the piston in opposite directions. It will beunderstood, furthermore, that the above-described meehanisin foractuating the fixed abutment is duplicated, whereby when one abutment isarranged in operative position the other is retracted to enable theengine to be driven in either direction required.

In Fig. si I have shown an improved construction of operating device forthe fixed abutment in which a sprintT 30 is employed in lieu of theyielding weignted lever shown in Figs. l and 3, one end of said springbeing fixed to the base or bed plate of the casing and the other beingattached to the projecting extremity of the stein 22, which is connectedto the fixed abutment. The free end ot the spring preferably projectsslightly beyond the plane of the stein and is engaged by one arm of arocking trip 3l, of bell-crank construction, the other arm of said tripbeing connected by means of a rod 32 with a handlever 33. Any suitablemeans may be employed for securing the handlever at the desiredadjustment, either with the fixed abutment depressed or released, suchas a gravitylatch 34, having notches for engaging a lateral pin 30 onsaid lever.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is l. A rot-ary enginehaving a casing comprising side walls and an annular outer wall, havinga continuous groove in its inner surface, a concentric piston having-arim forming the inner of the concentric walls of the casing, andprovided with a peripheral web projecting radially from the outersurface of its rim, and peripherally seated in said groove in the outerwall of the casing, to divide the interior of the casing into coaxialnon-eoin miiuieatin g cylinders, moving abiitineiits earried by said webrespectively at its opposite sides, to operate in said cylinders, theabutment in one cylinder being reversed in position to that in the othercylinder, relativelyreversed fixed abutmeiits disposed respectively inthe cylinders and yieldiiigly held in their operative positions in thepaths of the moving abutmeiits, means for securing either fixed abutmentin a retracted position, out of the path of the cooperating movingabutments, and valve mechanism for controlling the admission ci". motiveagent, whereby the same may be applied to either of said cyliiiders,substantially as specified.

2. 'A rotary engine having a casing, a concentric piston provided with amoving abutment having a cam-face, a fixed abutment arranged in the pathof the moving abutment and capable of radial movement into and out ofthe path of said moving abutment, and means for yieldingly holding thefixed abutment in its operative position, said means including a rockeroperatively connected with the fixed abutment and having adjustableopposing eoiinterpoises adapted to hold the abutment either extended orretracted, substantially as specified.

3. In a rotary engine, the coinbination with 'a cylinder, a concentricpiston having a moving abutment, and a fixed abutment mounted in thecylinder for movement into and out et the path of the moving abutment,of a rocker operatively connected to said fixed abutment and havingoppositely-extended guides, and connected weights mounted respectivelyupon said guides and adapted to be arranged at relatively differentdistances from the fulcru m of the rocker to vary the position of thefixed abutment, substantially as specified.

i. In a rotary engine, the combination with. a cylinder, a piston havinga moving abutinent,and a pivotal fixed abutment, of a rocker having anadjustable actuating weight, a stem connecting the fixed abutment withan arm of said rocker, and means for securing the fixed abutment in itsdepressed position, substantially as specified.

5. In arotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, a piston having amoving abutment, and a fixed abutment mounted for movement into and outof the path of the moving abutment, of a rocker havingoppositely-extendcd guides, connections between the fixed abutment andthe rocker, connected weightsmountedrespectivelyupon the guides of therocker, and means, as a hand-lever, for simultaneously shifting theweights to vary their positions with relation to the fulcruin of therocker, substantially as specified.

C. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, a piston havinga moving abutment, anda fixed abutment adapted to be extended tonormally occupy a position in op erative relation with the pistoi'uandmounted for retraction or folding by gravity, of' actuating means,operatively connected with a stem of the fixed abutment, for holding theIIO fixed abutment yieldingiy extended in oppo- In testimony that IClaim the foregoing as sition to gravity, and4 devices operatively myown I have hereto afiixed my signature connected With said actuatingmeans, for rein the presence of two Witnesses.

lieving the stem of the abutment of the pres- SILVESTER E. FERGUSON.sure thereof, whereby said abutment is al- Witnesses:

lowed to fold by gravity, substantially as J. N. HAGGARD,

specified. 1 v l J. A. DIoKsoN.

